More than 5,000 bags of food distributed to local schools

SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The holiday season is a time of joy. But the holiday break can also be stressful for children who rely on in-school meals as their main food source. To help keep families fed through the end of the year, USANA Kids Eat has once again led a food pack to address this issue—all while also celebrating its fifth anniversary since being founded in December of 2019.

Volunteers packed a total of 5,028 bags—which means 201,120 meals were delivered to 55 schools from Ogden to Payson, Utah. Each holiday bag contains 40 meals that were shopped for, packed, and delivered to schools by families and corporations across the state. This group of volunteers includes USANA's executive team, employees, and their families who are heavily involved in the cause year-round.

For more information on USANA Kids Eat, please visit USANAkidseat.org

"A staggering one in six kids in Utah are at risk of going hungry," said Michelle Benedict, director of global programs for the USANA Foundation. "And from the start, USANA Kids Eat's goal has been to address this problem. Year-round food packs help feed children during the school year, but something extra must be done to help families over the holiday break. We are extremely grateful to our local community volunteers and corporations, along with the USANA family, for stepping up to provide life-changing meals to families who so desperately need them."

In 2019, the USANA Foundation acquired local charity KidsEat!Utah to expand and bolster the work they were doing in the community. Since then, USANA Kids Eat has served and empowered more than 6,000 kids across the valley, served 110 schools, and handed out 265,699 bags, equaling 2,429,605 meals.

"Being a part of USANA Kids Eat over these years has been so special to me," Michelle added. "Helping more than 6,000 kids by providing them with over two million meals in just five years is astonishing. None of this would be possible without our amazing donors, sponsors, and volunteers who have dedicated so much to help us fight food insecurity in Utah."

"Community is one of USANA's core values, and the impact USANA Kids Eat has made on children and their families in our Utah community these past five years is almost immeasurable," said Jim Brown, USANA president and CEO. "I've been lucky to pack and distribute food donation bags and have heard first-hand how important they are for the families who use them. I want to congratulate the whole USANA Kids Eat team for everything they've accomplished since 2019. The sky is truly the limit for the future."

About USANA Kids Eat
Established in 2019, the USANA^® Foundation, seeing a local need, acquired KidsEat!Utah to form USANA^® Kids Eat. Providing backpacks filled with food for at-risk youth to schools and organizations along the Wasatch Front, the Foundation provides a global reach to make a strong, local impact.

About USANA
USANA (NYSE:USNA) prides itself on providing consumers the highest-quality nutritional products in the world. From its award-winning supplements to its innovative Celavive skincare and Active Nutrition lines, USANA has proven for more than 30 years why it's a company you can trust. How about giving us a try? Shop at USANA.com or learn more about USANA's sustainability efforts here.

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SOURCE USANA